FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-“Finding a way” may not sound like a recipe for long-term success but when you’re in an elimination game, facing a lose and you go home proposition, it’s all that matters. Finding a way. The Pittsburgh Penguins looked the part of defending Stanley Cup Champions in the first half of the game but to a man, the Ottawa Senators decided their season just wasn’t going to end on that night at the Canadian Tire Centre. Bobby Ryan scored a much-needed and shockingly simple power play goal and Mike Hoffman unleashed one of the most unstoppable shots of this year’s playoffs. Then every guy in a red uniform that stepped on the ice the rest of the way did their job. Blocking shots, diving at loose pucks, attacking on the forecheck, lights out goaltending from Craig Anderson and feeding off the energy in the CTC. An incredibly gutsy win by a truly remarkable hockey team and without a doubt, one of the most memorable games in franchise history.
-It’s kind of difficult to explain but that third period was unlike anything I’ve ever been a part of as a Sens fan. It just felt like there was such a direct link between the energy in the building and the performance on the ice. The louder the crowd got, the harder the team on the ice pushed. And it worked both ways. Like we, the 19 players on the ice and the more than 18,000 people in the building had decided, together, that it just wasn’t going to end tonight. Not in our building. Not after all we had been through this year. The players on the ice always deserve the credit when things go well but if you were in the Canadian Tire Centre on Tuesday night, know that you made a difference.
-There was a shift by Bobby Ryan in that third period that exemplifies exactly what I’m talking about too. He drilled one Penguin in the corner and as the puck came lose into the opposite corner, you could see Ryan saw another opportunity to hit a guy and in unison, the fans in the rink saw it too. The crowd was already roaring before he made contact on the second one. The “Bobby” chants that followed were well deserved too because this was Bobby Ryan’s best game as an Ottawa Senator. Feel like we’ve said that a few times in these playoffs.
-With their backs against the wall and their season on the line, the Senators got an incredible performance from one of their most important players. Craig Anderson was locked in from the moment the puck dropped and you could tell it was one of those games where he was going to give his team a chance to win. After an ugly performance in Game 5, Ottawa desperately needed Andy to bounce back and as is so often the case, Andy was there when his team needed him most. 45 saves on the night including 22 saves in the third period when the Penguins had a chance to blow the game open and then 12 more to lock it down. Not that it matters but I’m pretty sure whoever wrote down the three stars wrote the names in the opposite order. Or Stuntman Stu was holding the list upside down. Craig Anderson was without a doubt Ottawa’s best player last night.
-There were a number of players that stepped up during that third period but perhaps nobody elevated his game quite like Freddy Claesson. Not sure what he did during that second intermission but he came out like a man-possessed in the final 20 minutes. He was making great decisions with the puck and it seemed like every Penguin he came in contact with went spilling to the ice. He finished the game with just 15:23 but it was one of the better games of his young career. Boucher obviously noticed too because he seemed to play more down the stretch and even saw time on that late power play.
-Bonus Thought- Game Seven. The two most unsettling words in sports. One game and the winner goes to the Stanley Cup Finals. Just typing those words and I can already feel the stress building. There’s really nothing like it in sports. An incredibly hard fought series to get to this point and none of it matters. Everything resets and it’s just two teams, battling it out for 60 minutes (or more) with absolutely everything on the line. Over the next day and a bit, analysts will remind you of Ottawa’s record in series-deciding games or point out that Pittsburgh has never won a Game 7 after losing the sixth game on the road….none of that matters. It just comes down to one team, finding a way to win one hockey game. It’s terrifying. And I can’t wait.
–Boucher Post-Game Comments
–Boxscore
–Advanced Stats
–Playoff Bracket
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